Beamforming integrated circuit having rf signal ports using a ground-signal transition for high isolation in a phased antenna array system and related methods

ABSTRACT

A phased antenna array system is provided that includes a beamforming integrated circuit and beamforming elements in communication with the integrated circuit disposed on a substrate. The beamforming integrated circuit includes multiple radio frequency (RF) signal ports. One or more of the RF signal ports includes an RF signal pad disposed between an edge of the integrated circuit and an internal RF ground pad. The RF signal pad and the internal RF ground pad of the RF signal port are oriented perpendicular with respect to the edge of the integrated circuit. Specifically, the RF signal pad has a first side disposed on or adjacent to the edge of the integrated circuit and an opposing second side that is adjacent to the internal RF ground pad. A method of controlling the phased antenna array system is also provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This patent application is a continuation of, and therefore claims priority from, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/986,846 entitled BEAMFORMING INTEGRATED CIRCUIT HAVING RF SIGNAL PORTS USING A GROUND-SIGNAL TRANSITION FOR HIGH ISOLATION IN A PHASED ANTENNA ARRAY SYSTEM AND RELATED METHODS filed Aug. 6, 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/884,719 entitled BEAMFORMING INTEGRATED CIRCUIT HAVING RF SIGNAL PORTS USING A GROUND-SIGNAL TRANSITION FOR HIGH ISOLATION IN A PHASED ANTENNA ARRAY SYSTEM AND RELATED METHODS filed Aug. 9, 2019, each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to phased arrays and, more particularly, the invention relates to more efficiently managing beam-forming integrated circuits.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Active electronically steered antenna systems (“AESA systems,” a type of “phased array system”) form electronically steerable beams for a wide variety of radar and communications systems. To that end, AESA systems typically have a plurality of beam-forming elements (e.g., antennas) that transmit and/or receive energy so that the signal on each beam-forming element can be coherently (i.e., in-phase and amplitude) combined (referred to herein as “beam-forming” or “beam steering”). Specifically, many AESA systems implement beam steering by providing a unique radio frequency (“RF”) phase shift and gain setting (phase and gain together constitute a complex beam weight) between each beam-forming element and a beam-forming or summation point.

The number and type of beam-forming elements in the phased array system can be selected or otherwise configured specifically for a given application. A given application may have a specified minimum equivalent/effective isotropically radiated power (“EIRP”) for transmitting signals. Additionally, or alternatively, a given application may have a specified minimum G/T (analogous to a signal-to-noise ratio) for receiving signals, where:

-   -   G denotes the gain or directivity of an antenna, and     -   T denotes the total noise temperature of the receive system         including receiver noise figure, sky temperature, and feed loss         between the antenna and input low noise amplifier.

SUMMARY OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a phased antenna array system includes a beamforming integrated circuit having multiple radio frequency (RF) signal ports disposed on a substrate and multiple beamforming elements disposed on the substrate in communication with the beamforming integrated circuit. One or more of the RF signal ports includes an RF signal pad disposed between an edge of the integrated circuit and an internal RF ground pad. As discussed in more detail below, the RF signal pad and the internal RF ground pad of the RF signal port are oriented perpendicular with respect to the edge of the integrated circuit. The RF signal pad has a first side disposed on or adjacent to the edge of the integrated circuit and an opposing second side that is adjacent to the internal RF ground pad. The RF signal pad and the internal RF ground pad can be electrically connected to an exposed metal layer on the substrate that forms a ground-signal (GS) transition between the beamforming integrated circuit and the substrate.

The RF signal ports can include at least one RF common port for connecting to RF circuitry disposed on the substrate and at least one RF antenna port for connecting to at least one of the beamforming elements disposed on the substrate. In some embodiments, the RF common port and the RF antenna port are separated by at least four pad locations on the integrated circuit. In some embodiments, a plurality of RF antenna ports can be separated by at least one pad location on the integrated circuit.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for controlling a phased antenna array system. The phase antenna array system includes a beamforming integrated circuit having multiple RF signal ports disposed on a substrate and multiple beamforming elements disposed on the substrate in communication with the beamforming integrated circuit. The method includes transmitting a signal received on a first signal port among the RF signal ports through an RF channel defined in the beamforming integrated circuit to a second signal port among the RF signal ports. The first signal port and/or the second signal port including an RF signal pad disposed between an edge of the integrated circuit and an internal RF ground pad.

As described in more detail below, the RF signal pad and the internal RF ground pad of the RF signal port are oriented perpendicular with respect to the edge of the integrated circuit. The RF signal pad has a first side disposed on or adjacent to the edge of the integrated circuit and an opposing second side that is adjacent to the internal RF ground pad. The RF signal pad and the internal RF ground pad can be electrically connected to an exposed metal layer on the substrate that forms a ground-signal (GS) transition between the beamforming integrated circuit and the substrate.

The RF signal ports can include at least one RF common port for connecting to RF circuitry disposed on the substrate and at least one RF antenna port for connecting to at least one of the beamforming elements disposed on the substrate. In some embodiments, the RF common port and the RF antenna port are separated by at least four pad locations on the integrated circuit. In some embodiments, a plurality of RF antenna ports can be separated by at least one pad location on the integrated circuit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Those skilled in the art should more fully appreciate advantages of various embodiments of the invention from the following “Description of Illustrative Embodiments,” discussed with reference to the drawings summarized immediately below.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an active electronically steered antenna system (“AESA system”) configured in accordance with illustrative embodiments of the invention and communicating with a satellite.

FIGS. 2A and 2B schematically show generalized diagrams of an AESA system that may be configured in accordance with illustrative embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3A schematically shows a plan view of a laminar printed circuit board portion of an AESA configured in accordance with illustrative embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3B schematically shows a close-up of a portion of the laminated printed circuit board of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of the laminated printed circuit board of FIG. 3A to highlight the mounting of its integrated circuits.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a generic representation of an RF channel in a beamforming integrated circuit for illustrating the concept of signal interference due to electromagnetic coupling between RF signal ports.

FIG. 6A schematically shows a conventional beamforming integrated circuit that includes RF signal ports having a ground-signal-ground (GSG) pad layout configured for signal isolation.

FIG. 6B schematically shows an RF signal port of the conventional beamforming integrated circuit shown in FIG. 6A connected to respective signal and ground interfaces of on a printed circuit board.

FIG. 7A schematically shows an exemplary representation of a beamforming integrated circuit that includes RF signal ports having a ground-signal (GS) pad layout configured in accordance with illustrative embodiments of the invention, e.g., for signal isolation.

FIG. 7B schematically shows an exemplary RF signal port of the beamforming integrated circuit shown in FIG. 7A connected to respective signal and ground interfaces of on a printed circuit board.

FIG. 8 schematically shows another exemplary representation of a beamforming integrated circuit that includes RF antenna ports having a ground-signal (GS) pad layout configured in accordance with illustrative embodiments of the invention, e.g., to release more pads along the edge of the integrated circuit for other purposes.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C are graphs that illustrate exemplary magnitudes of isolation (in decibels) between adjacent RF antenna ports of the beamforming integrated circuit shown in FIG. 8 at different signal frequencies, each RF antenna port having a GS transition from the beamforming integrated circuit to a printed circuit board in accordance with illustrative embodiments.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are graphs that illustrate exemplary magnitudes of isolation (in decibels) between an RF common port and an RF antenna port of the beamforming integrated circuit shown in FIG. 8 at different signal frequencies, each RF antenna port having a GS transition from the beamforming integrated circuit to a printed circuit board in accordance with illustrative embodiments.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are graphs that illustrate minimizing amplitude and phase errors associated with an RF signal channel by maximizing signal isolation between an RF antenna port and an RF common port of the channel and between adjacent RF antenna ports.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

In illustrative embodiments, a phased antenna array system can include one or more beamforming integrated circuits having multiple radio frequency (RF) signal ports. Each integrated circuit is mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) or other substrate, such that the RF signal ports can be electrically connected to antenna elements and/or other RF circuitry of the PCB. It can be desirable, if not important, to electromagnetically isolate the RF signal ports from one another to prevent on-chip RF signal interference, e.g., for accurate phase and amplitude control of the phased antenna array system.

To that end, at least some of the RF signal ports of a beamforming integrated circuit are configured using a ground-signal (“GS”) pad topology. For example, an RF signal port can be configured to include an RF signal interface (or “pad”) disposed on the integrated circuit between a perimeter or an edge of the integrated circuit and an internal RF ground interface or pad disposed on an opposite side of the RF signal pad. When the integrated circuit is mounted on the PCB, electromagnetic coupling between the RF signal pad and the internal RF ground pad facilitates signal isolation between the port and other RF signal ports of the integrated circuit.

As described in illustrated embodiments below, an advantage of using RF signal ports having GS pad layouts includes the ability to facilitate signal isolation on the integrated circuit with less space (e.g., pads) as compared to conventional RF ports. Further advantages can include the manufacture of integrated circuits having smaller die sizes without reducing RF port count, integrated circuits having increased RF port counts along the perimeter of the integrated circuit, integrated circuits having increased non-RF port counts along the perimeter of the perimeter or edge of the integrated circuit. Persons skilled in the art will recognize other advantages of integrated circuits using the illustrative RF signal ports.

Details of illustrative embodiments are discussed below.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an active electronically steered antenna system (“AESA system 10”) configured in accordance with illustrative embodiments of the invention and communicating with an orbiting satellite 12. A phased array (discussed below and identified by reference number “10A”) implements the primary functionality of the AESA system 10. Specifically, as known by those skilled in the art, the phased array forms one or more of a plurality of electronically steerable beams that can be used for a wide variety of applications. As a satellite communication system, for example, the AESA system 10 preferably is configured operate at one or more satellite frequencies. Among others, those frequencies may include the Ka-band, Ku-band, and/or X-band.

The satellite communication system may be part of a cellular network operating under a known cellular protocol, such as the 3G, 4G, or 5G protocols. Accordingly, in addition to communicating with satellites, the system may communicate with earth-bound devices, such as smartphones or other mobile devices, using any of the 3G, 4G, or 5G protocols. As another example, the satellite communication system may transmit/receive information between aircraft and air traffic control systems. Of course, those skilled in the art may use the AESA system 10 (implementing the noted phased array 10A) in a wide variety of other applications, such as broadcasting, optics, radar, etc. Some embodiments may be configured for non-satellite communications and instead communicate with other devices, such as smartphones (e.g., using 4G or 5G protocols). Accordingly, discussion of communication with orbiting satellites 12 is not intended to limit all embodiments of the invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B schematically show generalized diagrams of the AESA system 10 configured in accordance with illustrative embodiments of the invention. Specifically, FIG. 2A schematically shows a block diagram of the AESA system 10, while FIG. 2B schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a small portion of the same AESA system 10 across line B-B. This latter view shows a single silicon integrated circuit 14 mounted onto a substrate 16 between two transmit, receive, and/or dual transmit/receive elements 18, i.e., on the same side of a supporting substrate 16 and juxtaposed with the two elements 18. In alternative embodiments, however, the integrated circuit 14 could be on the other side/surface of the substrate 16. The AESA system 10 also has a polarizer 20 to selectively filter signals to and from the phased array 10A, and a radome 22 to environmentally protect the phased array of the system 10. A separate antenna controller 24 (FIG. 2B) electrically connects with the phased array to calculate beam steering vectors for the overall phased array, and to provide other control functions.

FIG. 3A schematically shows a plan view of a primary portion of an AESA system 10 that may be configured in accordance with illustrative embodiments of the invention. In a similar manner, FIG. 3B schematically shows a close-up of a portion of the phased array 10A of FIG. 3A.

Specifically, the AESA system 10 of FIG. 3A is implemented as a laminar phased array 10A having a laminated printed circuit board 16 (i.e., acting as the substrate and also identified by reference number “16”) supporting the above noted plurality of elements 18 and integrated circuits 14. The elements 18 preferably are formed as a plurality of square or rectangular patch antennas oriented in a triangular patch array configuration. In other words, each element 18 forms a triangle with two other adjacent elements 18. When compared to a rectangular lattice configuration, this triangular lattice configuration requires fewer elements 18 (e.g., about 15 percent fewer in some implementations) for a given grating lobe free scan volume. Other embodiments, however, may use other lattice configurations, such as a pentagonal configuration or a hexagonal configuration. Moreover, despite requiring more elements 18, some embodiments may use a rectangular lattice configuration. Like other similar phased arrays, the printed circuit board 16 also may have a ground plane (not shown) that electrically and magnetically cooperates with the elements 18 to facilitate operation.

Indeed, the array shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B is a small phased array 10A. Those skilled in the art can apply principles of illustrative embodiments to laminar phased arrays 10A with hundreds, or even thousands, of elements 18 and integrated circuits 14. In a similar manner, those skilled in the art can apply various embodiments to smaller phased arrays 10A.

As a patch array, the elements 18 have a low profile. Specifically, as known by those skilled in the art, a patch antenna (i.e., the element 18) typically is mounted on a flat surface and includes a flat rectangular sheet of metal (known as the patch and noted above) mounted over a larger sheet of metal known as a “ground plane.” A dielectric layer between the two metal regions electrically isolates the two sheets to prevent direct conduction. When energized, the patch and ground plane together produce a radiating electric field. Illustrative embodiments may form the patch antennas using conventional semiconductor fabrication processes, such as by depositing one or more successive metal layers on the printed circuit board 16. Accordingly, using such fabrication processes, each radiating element 18 in the phased array 10A should have a very low profile.

The phased array 10A can have one or more of any of a variety of different functional types of elements 18. For example, the phased array 10A can have transmit-only elements 18, receive-only elements 18, and/or dual mode receive and transmit elements 18 (referred to as “dual-mode elements 18”). The transmit-only elements 18 are configured to transmit outgoing signals (e.g., burst signals) only, while the receive-only elements 18 are configured to receive incoming signals only. In contrast, the dual-mode elements 18 are configured to either transmit outgoing burst signals, or receive incoming signals, depending on the mode of the phased array 10A at the time of the operation. Specifically, when using dual-mode elements 18, the phased array 10A can be in either a transmit mode, or a receive mode. The noted controller 24, at least in part, controls the mode and operation of the phased array 10A, as well as other array functions.

The AESA system 10 has a plurality of the above noted integrated circuits 14 (mentioned above with regard to FIG. 2B) for controlling operation of the elements 18. Those skilled in the art often refer to these integrated circuits 14 as “beam steering integrated circuits,” or “beam-forming integrated circuits.”

Each integrated circuit 14 preferably is configured with at least the minimum number of functions to accomplish the desired effect. Indeed, integrated circuits 14 for dual mode elements 18 are expected to have some different functionality than that of the integrated circuits 14 for the transmit-only elements 18 or receive-only elements 18. Accordingly, integrated circuits 14 for such non-dual-mode elements 18 typically have a smaller footprint than the integrated circuits 14 that control the dual-mode elements 18. Despite that, some or all types of integrated circuits 14 fabricated for the phased array 10A can be modified to have a smaller footprint.

As an example, depending on its role in the phased array 10A, each integrated circuit 14 may include some or all of the following functions:

-   -   phase shifting,     -   amplitude controlling/beam weighting,     -   switching between transmit mode and receive mode,     -   output amplification to amplify output signals to the elements         18,     -   input amplification for received RF signals (e.g., signals         received from the satellite 12), and     -   power combining/summing and splitting between elements 18.

Indeed, some embodiments of the integrated circuits 14 may have additional or different functionality, although illustrative embodiments are expected to operate satisfactorily with the above noted functions. Those skilled in the art can configure the integrated circuits 14 in any of a wide variety of manners to perform those functions. For example, the input amplification may be performed by a low noise amplifier, the phase shifting may use conventional active phase shifters, and the switching functionality may be implemented using conventional transistor-based switches.

Each integrated circuit 14 preferably operates on at least one element 18 in the array. For example, one integrated circuit 14 can operate on two or four different elements 18. Of course, those skilled in the art can adjust the number of elements 18 sharing an integrated circuit 14 based upon the application. For example, a single integrated circuit 14 can control two elements 18, three elements 18, five elements 18, six elements 18, seven elements 18, eight elements 18, etc., or some range of elements 18. Sharing the integrated circuits 14 between multiple elements 18 in this manner reduces the required total number of integrated circuits 14, correspondingly reducing the required size of the printed circuit board 16.

As noted above, the dual-mode elements 18 may operate in a transmit mode, or a receive mode. To that end, the integrated circuits 14 may generate time division diplex or duplex waveforms so that a single aperture or phased array 10A can be used for both transmitting and receiving. In a similar manner, some embodiments may eliminate a commonly included transmit/receive switch in the side arms of the integrated circuit 14. Instead, such embodiments may duplex at the element 18. This process can be performed by isolating one of the elements 18 between transmit and receive by an orthogonal feed connection.

RF interconnect and/or beam-forming lines 26 electrically connect the integrated circuits 14 to their respective elements 18. To further minimize the feed loss, illustrative embodiments mount the integrated circuits 14 as close to their respective elements 18 as possible. Specifically, this close proximity preferably reduces RF interconnect line lengths, reducing the feed loss. To that end, each integrated circuit 14 preferably is packaged either in a flip-chipped configuration using wafer level chip scale packaging (WLCSP), or a traditional package, such as quad flat no-leads package (QFN package). While other types of packaging may suffice, WLCSP techniques are preferred to minimize real estate on the substrate 16.

In addition to reducing feed loss, using WLCSP techniques reduces the overall footprint of the integrated circuits 14, enabling them to be mounted on the top face of the printed circuit board 16 with the elements 18—providing more surface area for the elements 18.

It should be reiterated that although FIGS. 3A and 3B show the AESA system 10 with some specificity (e.g., the layout of the elements 18 and integrated circuits 14), those skilled in the art may apply illustrative embodiments to other implementations. For example, as noted above, each integrated circuit 14 can connect to more or fewer elements 18, or the lattice configuration can be different. Accordingly, discussion of the specific configuration of the AESA system 10 of FIG. 3A (and other figures) is for convenience only and not intended to limit all embodiments.

FIG. 4 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of the layout of components on the laminated printed circuit board 16 of FIG. 3A to highlight the flip-chip mounting of its integrated circuits 14. The integrated circuit 14 in this drawing intentionally is enlarged to show details of a flip-chip mounting technique. Unlike techniques that permit input/output (“I/O”) only on the edge of the integrated circuit 14, flip-chip mounting permits I/O on interior portions of the integrated circuit 14.

As shown, the integrated circuit 14 has a plurality of pads 28 aligned with a plurality of corresponding pads 28 on the printed circuit board 16. These opposing pads 28 on the integrated circuit 14 and the printed circuit board 16 may be considered to form pairs of pads 28. Solder 30 (e.g., solder balls) electrically connects each the pads in corresponding pairs of pads 28. Interconnect lines, traces, and other electrical interconnects on/in the printed circuit board 16 (e.g., lines 26) thus permit the integrated circuit 14 to communicate with other elements 18 through this electrical interface.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 forms a space or void (identified by reference number “32”) between the bottom of the integrated circuit 14 (from the perspective of this drawing) and the top surface of the printed circuit board 16. This space 32 may remain an open void—containing no material. Some embodiments may take advantage of this extra space 32 to add further components, such as additional circuit elements, without requiring more circuit board space. Alternatively, this space 32 may contain fill material (not shown) for further stability and thermal management of the integrated circuit 14.

Other embodiments, however, still may use similar integrated circuits 14, but not use flip-chip mounting techniques. Instead, other mounting techniques may couple the integrated circuits 14 with the substrate 16. Among other things, those techniques may incorporate surface mounting, or wirebond mounting with the integrated circuit 14 rotated 180 degrees from the orientation of FIG. 4. Similar embodiments may use conventional packaging, such as quad-flat leadframe packages (i.e., “QFN” packages). Accordingly, discussion of flip chip mounting techniques is but one of a variety of different techniques that may be used with various embodiments of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, beamforming integrated circuits for a phased antenna array system typically include one or more transceiver chains (sometimes referred to herein as “channels”). Each channel can have a phase shifter θ and/or a gain amplifier A for manipulating RF signals received at an RF input port (e.g., Input) and transmitted through an RF output port (e.g., Output 1/Output 2). Such beamforming circuits can also include a splitter/combiner S to facilitate signal multiplexing and/or de-multiplexing between two or more channels.

A concern typically associated with beamforming integrated circuit design includes the prevention of electromagnetic coupling between RF ports. For example, electromagnetic coupling of an RF output port (e.g. Output 1) and an RF input port (e.g., Input) can distort RF signals received at the RF input port and/or RF signals transmitted through the RF output port. Electromagnetic coupling of two or more RF output ports (e.g., Output 1 and Output 2) can also distort their respective RF output signals.

Accordingly, in a beamforming integrated circuit having multiple RF ports, it can be desirable, if not important, to electromagnetically isolate the RF ports from one another to prevent such signal interference and facilitate accurate phase and amplitude control for a phased antenna array system. For example, to achieve equal amplitude and phase error contributions in the circuit shown in FIG. 5, the magnitude of isolation between an RF input port and an RF output port depends, at least in part, on the magnitude of an RF gain applied by a respective gain amplifier G in comparison to the isolation between the two RF output ports (e.g., Output 1 and Output 2).

FIGS. 6A and 6B schematically show a conventional beamforming integrated circuit 50 that includes RF antenna ports 52 a, 52 b, 52 c, 52 d, 52 e, 52 f, 52 g, 52 h, (collectively RF ports 52) and RF common ports 54 a and 54 b (collectively 54) that drive the RF antenna ports. As shown, each of the RF ports 52 and 54 has a ground-signal-ground (GSG) pad layout for electromagnetically isolating the ports from one another. For example, each RF port includes a first RF ground pad G₁, an RF signal pad S, and a second RF ground pad G₂, disposed linearly on an edge of the integrated circuit 50.

As shown in FIG. 6B, when the integrated circuit 50 is mounted on a PCB or other substrate, the GSG pads are respectively connected to an RF ground interface 70 _(G) and an RF signal interface 70 _(S) of the PCB via solder bumps 74 _(G1), 74 _(S), and 74 _(G2). As will be readily understood by a person skilled in the art, the GSG transition from the integrated circuit to the PCB can generate a symmetrical electromagnetic field E between RF signal and RF ground that carry RF current—and thereby electromagnetically isolate the port from surrounding RF ports.

The magnitude of isolation between RF ports is strongly dependent on their separation distance from one another. Therefore, the RF antenna ports 52 and the RF common ports 54 are typically placed at locations on the integrated circuit 50 that maximize a separation distance between them. However, placement of RF ports can have certain constraints. For example, mechanical stress simulations have shown that corner locations of an integrated circuit die pose the highest risk of failure in a wafer-level chip-scale-package (WLCSP) and thus are not typically used for RF port placements. Further, GSG transitions typically require that an RF signal pad be at least three pad locations away from the edge of the integrated circuit die, further reducing the separation distance between respective RF ports.

In view of the foregoing constraints, the separation distance between some of the RF antenna ports 52 and RF common ports 54 can be less than optimal, e.g., for signal isolation. For example, in the illustrative 10×13 pad layout of FIG. 6A, the minimum achievable spacing between the RF antenna ports 52 a, 52 b and the RF common port 54 a that drives them is one (1) pad location (assuming corner pads cannot be used for reliability purposes). Further, the RF antenna ports 52 a and 52 b cannot be placed on the same edge as the RF antenna ports 52 c and 52 d (or RF antenna ports 52 g and 52 h) without sharing RF ground pads or growing the dimensions of the integrated circuit die (e.g., the Y-dimension in FIG. 6A). Such a configuration can be problematic for coupling between adjacent RF antenna ports.

To address at least some of the foregoing disadvantages, illustrative embodiments of beamforming integrated circuits are provided herein that include RF ports having a ground-signal (GS) pad layout. A GS transition from an integrated circuit to a printed circuit board can realize comparable, if not better, isolation and insertion loss relative to GSG transitions with fewer pads (e.g., two instead of three). GS transitions also reduce the number of the pads needed along the perimeter of the integrated circuit for RF signal and RF ground, thus enabling the manufacture of smaller die sizes. Adjacent RF antenna ports can also be placed close together (e.g., a single ground pad separation) while maintaining sufficiently high isolation. Illustrative embodiments can improve mechanical reliability by allowing corner pads, known to be most susceptible to mechanical stress, to be removed or used for redundant purposes due to the need for fewer RF pads.

For example, FIGS. 7A and 7B schematically show an illustrative embodiment of a beamforming integrated circuit 150 that includes RF antenna ports 152 a, 152 b, 152 c, 152 d, 152 e, 152 f, 152 g, 152 h, (collectively 152) and RF common ports 154 a and 154 b (collectively 154) that drive the RF antenna ports 152. As shown in FIG. 7A, each of the RF antenna ports 152 has a ground-signal (GS) pad layout for electromagnetically isolating the ports from one another. Each of the RF antenna ports 152 includes an RF signal pad S an internal RF ground pad G. For example, each RF signal pad S has a first side disposed on or adjacent to the edge of the integrated circuit 150 and an opposing second side that is adjacent to the internal RF ground pad G. The RF signal pad S and the internal RF ground pad G are oriented perpendicular with respect to the edge of the integrated circuit 150. Although the RF common ports 154 as shown have a GSG transition, persons skilled in the art will recognize that the RF common ports can also be configured to have a GS transition.

As shown in FIG. 7B, when the integrated circuit 150 is mounted on a PCB or other substrate, the RF signal pads S and the internal RF ground pads G of the RF antenna ports 152 are respectively connected to an RF signal interface 170 _(S) and an RF ground interface 170 _(G) of the PCB via solder bumps 174 _(S and) 174 _(S), respectively. As will be readily understood by a person skilled in the art, the GS transition from the integrated circuit 150 to the PCB can generate a symmetrical electromagnetic field E′ between RF signal and RF ground that carry RF current—and thereby electromagnetically isolate the port from surrounding RF ports.

By using a GS transition with an internal RF ground pad G, a single RF signal pad S on the edge of the integrated circuit can be used to implement an RF signal port. The die size dependency on the number of RF ports (relative to GSG transitions) is therefore reduced by a factor of 3. Additionally, it is possible to increase the separation distance between the RF antenna ports 152 and the RF common ports 154. For example, in the illustrative 10×13 pad layout of FIG. 7A, the minimum achievable spacing between the RF antenna ports (e.g., 152 a, 152 e) and the RF common port (e.g., 154 a) that drives them can be increased from one (1) pad location to four (4) pad locations for increased signal isolation (most coupling mechanism due to delta in signal levels). Additionally, as shown, the number of RF antenna ports 152 placed on the same edge of the integrated circuit can be increased. In some illustrative embodiments, such increases in separation distance can maintain signal isolation between RF antenna ports 152 in a range greater than approximately 40 decibels (dB) in the 28 GHz band.

As shown in FIG. 8, in addition to the improved isolation, the proposed GS transition method can release more pads 160 located on the perimeter of the integrated circuit die 150′ to be used for other purposes. For example, such pads can be used for purposes such as digital inputs/outputs (e.g., clock lines SPI_CLK, serial data inputs SPI_SDI, serial data outputs SPI_SDO, parallel data inputs SPI_PDI, parallel data outputs SPI_PDO, chip select inputs SPI_CSB, load enable inputs SPI_LDB) or supply pins (e.g., voltage inputs VDDx) that would otherwise be required to be located internal to the die. Using internal pads of an integrated circuit for these purposes can complicate the printed circuit board in terms of the types of vias required between routing layers which will increase the overall cost.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C are graphs that illustrate exemplary magnitudes of isolation (in decibels) between adjacent RF antenna ports 152 a, 152 b, 152 c, 152 d of the beamforming integrated circuit 150′ shown in FIG. 8 at different signal frequencies. Each RF antenna port has a GS transition from the beamforming integrated circuit to a printed circuit board in accordance with illustrative embodiments. In FIG. 9A, the magnitude of isolation is measured between a horizontally polarized RF antenna port 152 a and a vertically polarized RF antenna port 152 b, separated by a single ground pad. In FIG. 9B, the magnitude of isolation is measured between vertically polarized RF antenna ports 152 b and 152 c, separated by a two ground pads. In FIG. 9C, the magnitude of isolation is measured between a vertically polarized RF antenna port 152 c and a horizontally polarized RF antenna port 152 d, separated by a single ground pad. Each graph shows the magnitude of isolation between the adjacent ports with respect as measured on the integrated circuit 150′, a printed circuit board (e.g. 16), and between the integrated circuit and printed circuit board.

In some embodiments, the electromagnetic isolation between all ports as measured on the integrated circuit 150′ can exceed 40 decibels (dB) for signals in the range between approximately 28 gigahertz (GHz) and approximately 38 GHz. For example, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9C, the electromagnetic isolation between a horizontally polarized RF antenna port (152 a/152 d) and a vertically polarized RF antenna port (152 b/152 c) can be equal to or greater than approximately 43.5 dB for signals at approximately 28 GHz and equal to or greater than approximately 40.8 dB for signals at approximately 38 GHz. As shown in FIG. 9B, the electromagnetic isolation between vertically polarized RF antenna ports 152 b and 152 c can be equal to or greater than approximately 50.8 dB for signals at approximately 28 GHz and equal to or greater than approximately 44.5 dB for signals at approximately 38 GHz. These isolation measurements can result in ±0.1 dB and ±1 dB degree of amplitude and phase error, respectively.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are graphs that illustrate exemplary magnitudes of isolation (in decibels) between RF common ports and RF antenna ports of the beamforming integrated circuit 150′ shown in FIG. 8 at different signal frequencies. Each RF antenna port has a GS transition from the beamforming integrated circuit to a printed circuit board in accordance with illustrative embodiments. For example, in FIG. 10A, the magnitude of isolation is measured between an RF common port 154 a and a horizontally polarized RF antenna port 152 a, separated by at least four pad locations. In FIG. 9B, the magnitude of isolation is measured between an RF common port 154 b and a vertically polarized RF antenna port 152 c, separated by at least four pad locations.

Each graph shows the magnitude of isolation between the adjacent ports as measured on the integrated circuit 150′ and as measured on a PCB can exceed 60 db for signals in the range between approximately 28.0 gigahertz (GHz) and approximately 38.0 GHz (assuming a 20 dB gain between the ports). For example, in FIG. 10A, the magnitude of isolation as measured on the integrated circuit 150′ between the common port 154 a and the horizontally polarized RF antenna port 152 a can be equal to or greater than approximately 66.758 dB for signals at approximately 28 GHz and equal to or greater than approximately 59.763 dB for signals at approximately 38 GHz. In FIG. 10B, the magnitude of isolation as measured on the integrated circuit 150′ between the common port 154 b and the vertically polarized RF antenna port 152 c can be equal to or greater than approximately 70.9617 dB for signals at approximately 28 GHz and equal to or greater than approximately 62.8333 dB for signals at approximately 38 GHz.

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate that amplitude and phase errors can be minimized in an RF signal channel by maximizing signal isolation between an RF antenna port and an RF common port of the channel as well as maximizing signal isolation between adjacent RF antenna ports.

Although the above discussion discloses various exemplary embodiments of the invention, it should be apparent that those skilled in the art can make various modifications that will achieve some of the advantages of the invention without departing from the true scope of the invention. 

1-23. (canceled)
 24. A beamforming integrated circuit comprising: a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signal ports, wherein one or more of the plurality of RF signal ports comprises an RF signal pad disposed between an edge of the integrated circuit and an internal RF ground pad, wherein the RF signal pad and the internal RF ground pad of the one or more of the RF signal ports are oriented perpendicular with respect to the edge of the integrated circuit, and wherein the RF signal pad and the RF ground pad are configured to form a ground-signal (GS) transition that generates a symmetrical electromagnetic field between the RF signal pad and the RF ground pad that carries RF current to thereby electromagnetically isolate each of the RF ports from surrounding RF ports when the RF signal pad is electrically connected to an RF signal interface of a substrate and the internal RF ground pad is electrically connected to an RF ground interface of the substrate, and wherein adjacent RF signal ports are separated by at least one ground pad and adjacent internal RF ground pads are separated by at least one ground pad.
 25. The beamforming integrated circuit of claim 24, wherein the RF signal pad has a first side disposed on or adjacent to the edge of the integrated circuit and an opposing second side that is adjacent to the internal RF ground pad.
 26. The beamforming integrated circuit of claim 24, wherein the plurality of RF signal ports comprises at least one RF common port for connecting to RF circuitry disposed on the substrate and at least one RF antenna port for connecting to at least one of the beamforming elements disposed on the substrate.
 27. The beamforming integrated circuit of claim 26, wherein the at least one RF common port and the at least one RF antenna port are separated by at least four pad locations on the integrated circuit.
 28. The beamforming integrated circuit of claim 26, wherein the at least one RF antenna port comprises a plurality of RF antenna ports separated by at least one pad location on the integrated circuit.
 29. The beamforming integrated circuit of claim 26, wherein each RF antenna port comprises an RF signal pad disposed between an edge of the integrated circuit and an internal RF ground pad, and wherein the RF antenna ports are disposed on first and second opposing edges of the integrated circuit and each RF common port is disposed on an edge other than the first and second opposing edges.
 30. A beamforming integrated circuit for controlling receipt and transmission of signals by a plurality of elements in a phased array, the beamforming integrated circuit comprising: beamforming circuitry; and a plurality of contact pads on an interface surface of the beamforming integrated circuit, the plurality of contact pads positioned with respect to a rectangular grid having 130 pad locations arranged as 10 rows designatable as rows A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, and K and 13 columns designatable as columns 1-13, the plurality of contact pads comprising: a first element RF signal pad at pad location J1 and a corresponding ground-RF pad at pad location J2; a second element RF signal pad at pad location G1 and a corresponding ground-RF pad at pad location G2; a third element RF signal pad at pad location D1 and a corresponding ground-RF pad at pad location D2; a fourth element RF signal pad at pad location B1 and a corresponding ground-RF pad at pad location B2; a fifth element RF signal pad at pad location B13 and a corresponding ground-RF pad at pad location B12; a sixth element RF signal pad at pad location D13 and a corresponding ground-RF pad at pad location D12; a seventh element RF signal pad at pad location G13 and a corresponding ground-RF pad at pad location G12; an eighth element RF signal pad at pad location J13 and a corresponding ground-RF pad at pad location J12; and ground pads between adjacent element RF signal pads at pad locations C1, E1, F1, H1, C13, E13, F13, and H13, the element RF signal pads being electrically coupled to the beamforming circuitry.
 31. A beamforming integrated circuit according to claim 30, wherein each element RF signal pad and corresponding ground-RF pad forms a ground-signal (GS) transition that generates a symmetrical electromagnetic field between the element RF signal pad and the ground-RF pad that carries RF current to thereby electromagnetically isolate each of the element RF signal pads from surrounding RF signal pads.
 32. A beamforming integrated circuit according to claim 30, wherein: the first element RF signal pad is electrically coupled to a first beamforming circuit; the second element RF signal pad is electrically coupled to a second beamforming circuit; the third element RF signal pad is electrically coupled to a third beamforming circuit; the fourth element RF signal pad is electrically coupled to a fourth beamforming circuit; the fifth element RF signal pad is electrically coupled to a fifth beamforming circuit; the sixth element RF signal pad is electrically coupled to a sixth beamforming circuit; the seventh element RF signal pad is electrically coupled to a seventh beamforming circuit; the eighth element RF signal pad is electrically coupled to an eighth beamforming circuit, wherein each beamforming circuit comprises at least one of (a) a transmit circuit configured to provide transmit signals to a corresponding element or (b) a receive circuit configured to process signals received from the corresponding element.
 33. A beamforming integrated circuit according to claim 32, wherein: the first and second element RF signal pads are separate element interfaces for respectively coupling the first and second beamforming circuits to separate interface ports of a first element; the third and fourth element RF signal pads are separate element interfaces for respectively coupling the third and fourth beamforming circuits to separate interface ports of a second element; the fifth and sixth element RF signal pads are separate element interfaces for respectively coupling the fifth and sixth beamforming circuits to separate interface ports of a third element; and the seventh and eighth element RF signal pads are separate element interfaces for respectively coupling the seventh and eighth beamforming circuits to separate interface ports of a fourth element.
 34. A beamforming integrated circuit according to claim 33, wherein: the first and second beamforming circuits are configured to use different polarizations; the third and fourth beamforming circuits are configured to use different polarizations; the fifth and sixth beamforming circuits are configured to use different polarizations; and the seventh and eighth beamforming circuits are configured to use different polarizations.
 35. A beamforming integrated circuit according to claim 34, wherein the different polarizations are orthogonal to one another.
 36. A beamforming integrated circuit according to claim 34, wherein: the first and second beamforming circuits are configured to transmit signals and receive signals using the different polarizations; the third and fourth beamforming circuits are configured to transmit signals and receive signals using the different polarizations; the fifth and sixth beamforming circuits are configured to transmit signals and receive signals using the different polarizations; and the seventh and eighth beamforming circuits are configured to transmit signals and receive signals using the different polarizations.
 37. A beamforming integrated circuit according to claim 30, wherein the integrated circuit is configured to operate using 5G protocols.
 38. A beamforming integrated circuit according to claim 30, wherein the integrated circuit is configured to operate at one or more satellite frequencies.
 39. A beamforming integrated circuit according to claim 30, the plurality of contact pads further comprising: a first common RF signal pad at pad location A7 with ground pads at pad locations A6 and A8; and a second common RF signal pad at pad location K7 with ground pads at pad locations K6 and K8, the common RF signal pads being electrically coupled to the beamforming circuitry.
 40. A beamforming integrated circuit according to claim 39, wherein: the first common RF signal pad is electrically coupled to a first common RF circuit; the second common RF signal pad is electrically coupled to a second common RF circuit; and the first and second common RF circuits are configured to use different polarizations.
 41. A beamforming integrated circuit according to claim 30, wherein pad locations A1, A13, K1, and K13 at the corners of the grid are unused.
 42. A beamforming integrated circuit according to claim 30, wherein pad locations A3-A5, A9-A11, K3-K5, and K9-K11 are used for at least one of: digital input signals; digital output signals; or supply signals.
 43. A beamforming integrated circuit according to claim 30, wherein the interface surface is part of a wafer-level chip scale package (WLCSP) and wherein the signal pads include solder balls.
 44. A beamforming integrated circuit according to claim 43, wherein adjacent solder balls are around 400 um apart.
 45. A method of controlling a phased antenna array system that comprises a beamforming integrated circuit disposed on a substrate and including a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signal ports and a plurality of beamforming elements disposed on the substrate and in communication with the beamforming integrated circuit, the method comprising: transmitting a signal received on a first signal port among the RF signal ports through an RF channel defined in the beamforming integrated circuit to a second signal port among the RF signal ports, wherein at least one of the first signal port and the second signal port comprises an RF signal pad disposed between an edge of the integrated circuit and an internal RF ground pad, wherein the RF signal pad and the internal RF ground pad of the RF signal port are oriented perpendicular with respect to the edge of the integrated circuit, and wherein the RF signal pad is electrically connected to an RF signal interface of the substrate and the internal RF ground pad is electrically connected to an RF ground interface of the substrate to form a ground-signal (GS) transition between the beamforming integrated circuit and the substrate that generates an electromagnetic field between the RF signal and the RF ground that carries RF current to thereby electromagnetically isolate the RF port from surrounding RF ports.
 46. The method of claim 45, wherein the RF signal pad has a first side disposed on or adjacent to the edge of the integrated circuit and an opposing second side that is adjacent to the internal RF ground pad.
 47. The method of claim 45, wherein the plurality of RF signal ports comprises at least one RF common port for connecting to RF circuitry disposed on the substrate and at least one RF antenna port for connecting to at least one of the beamforming elements disposed on the substrate.
 48. The method of claim 47, wherein the at least one RF common port and the at least one RF antenna port are separated by at least four pad locations on the integrated circuit.
 49. The method of claim 47, wherein the at least one RF antenna port comprising a plurality of RF antenna ports separated by at least one pad location on the integrated circuit. 